The Television Academy guidelines are clear enough. The qualifications for the Documentary or Nonfiction Series Emmy are programs that include documentaries, travelogues, segmented/magazine programs, and interview formats. On paper, it sounds easy. But, in practice, what a fruit salad of apples and oranges the nominees have turned out to be! In just the last ten years, this category’s Emmy nominees have included series on elephants, Woody Allen, big-wave surfing, Bill Cosby, and a Tiger King. How does a voter compare any of these to make a rational judgment as to what’s best?
Suppose voters had a notion that their jobs would be any easier in this year’s race, well, then…good luck with that! Looking at the leading contenders for 2024 suggests that an even fruitier salad may be in the mix, from profiles of a soccer legend and a troubled media star to nature documentaries on creature migration and the queens of the animal kingdom. Plus, to top it all off: Black Twitter! It’s quite a conglomeration of themes.
What do you do with a lineup like this? Even ace Emmy prognosticators are flummoxed as to what titles will make the final five, so here’s your chance to jump ahead of the pack. We’ve selected these ten documentary or nonfiction series to put on your Emmy radar, along with a few comments on where their awards’ strengths (or weaknesses) may lie. Enjoy, and happy streaming!
Beckham (Netflix)
In a year where a particularly large number of celebrity-centered doc series made their debuts, the one title that keeps recurring in Emmy conversations is this four-part profile of legendary footballer David Beckham. Directed by actor Fisher Stevens (“Succession“), most of “Beckham” follows the tropes of your standard biopic with high- and low-lights of David’s life: his signing professionally with Manchester United at the age of 16, his skills on the field bringing media attention, his courtship and marriage to “Posh Spice” Victoria Beckham, and his current work as global ambassador of the sport. What makes “Beckham” stand out, however, is Stevens’ ease in getting the Beckhams to open up about their marriage and the many trials they’ve had to endure (particularly from the ferocious British tabloid press) to keep their love alive over the past quarter century.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Even for those Emmy voters with little interest or knowledge of the British football scene, Beckham just oozes charisma, and his openness about his life makes for fascinating viewing. In an Emmy race where many major contenders examine dark and upsetting subjects, the upbeat tone of “Beckham” could provide an appealing alternative for Emmy voters.
Black Twitter: A People’s History (Hulu)
For many Black users of social media, Prentice Penny’s three-part Hulu series “Black Twitter: A People’s History” might be greeted with a, “Yeah, we know.” For non-Black audiences, however, Penny’s series was likely an eye-opener, charting the rise of Black users bypassing Facebook and making Twitter their outlet of choice in building a social community. In its early years, Black Twitter was largely social — dishing the previous night’s “Scandal” episode was a regular feature — but as Black influence grew on the site, its impact began to change. The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite prompted an upheaval within the Motion Picture Academy with positive results; Black voices were amplified, and history changed through the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Through the narrow focus of Black Twitter, Penny has created an impressive scrapbook of Black cultural history from the past 15 years.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Emmy voters may realize how much they never knew they never knew from the series, which is always an effective way to garner votes. Plus, a small but important note: the series’ ideally-timed premiere date was a mere four weeks before ballots went out, which gave it enough time to land with voters.
The Jinx: Part Two (HBO)
This six-episode series continues the profile of New York real estate heir Robert Durst, who was suspected of having murdered his missing first wife and is arrested for the 2000 execution-style killing of a close personal friend. At the climax of the first season of “The Jinx,” Durst is heard confessing to the murders, and as Part Two begins, he is arrested, tried, and convicted for that second killing. The impact of the first season becomes part of the story of the second, a meta combination that director Andrew Garecki handles deftly as Durst’s fate goes to the jury. If “Part Two” wasn’t quite met with the same level of shock and surprise that greeted the first installment, Garecki’s artful rendering of the increasingly bizarre story was similarly met with a chorus of positive reviews.
EMMY OUTLOOK: The first chapter of “The Jinx” was a media sensation. It won this Emmy category in 2015 and earned Peabody, TCA, and PGA Awards. Given the continued critical acclaim that “Part Two” has received, the chances of a series nomination are pretty strong, and it is possible for a repeat win.
Last Call: When A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (HBO)
“Last Call: When A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York” is not an easy sit, but it’s an important one and arguably 2024’s most significant amid a sea of true-crime documentaries this year. Actually, director Anthony Caronna uses the true-crime format to tell a much larger story of that period in the early 1990s, when AIDS was still raging throughout the queer community, as was homophobia among a particular portion of the population and (reportedly) the NYPD. When a serial killer began stalking the downtown gay bars in hopes of finishing the job that AIDS had started by murdering queer men, many in authority looked the other way. It wasn’t until the fury rose within the queer community itself to fight back that anything was done. Caronna’s series places its focus where it belongs: on the victims and on the community that fought to avenge their deaths. And, with rising hate now being directed toward the trans community, the lessons from “Last Call” are more relevant than ever.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Even though “Last Call” first aired way back in July, its unanimous critical praise (100% on Rotten Tomatoes) still stands as one of the year’s strongest. No matter how well done the series may be, will Emmy voters want to press play to see a powerful series about a difficult subject? Our best guess is that they will.
Our Planet II (Netflix)
It has been five years since the premiere edition of “Our Planet” won this category, and fans have anxiously awaited its return. Following its first season’s exploration of the effects of changing climate on the animal population, Season 2 focuses on migration and the ancestral journey that each animal must take in maintaining the survival of all. The drama lies in the paths each species chooses to take – some bountiful, others picturesque, still others potentially deadly. The technical work is up to the gold standard of the first, whether it’s the finely detailed hairs of the tiniest insects or the majesty of orcas cresting. By the final episode, you may be depressed at what humans are doing to the environment, but the beauty of nature that “Our Planet II” so exquisitely captures remains.
EMMY OUTLOOK: As they say, once a winner, always a threat, and this second season of the category’s 2019 champion shows no sign of slowing down. With its superb technical craftsmanship intact, the series has a great shot at a second series nomination.
Queens (National Geographic)
No, it’s not a show about “Drag Race” or that New York City borough. “Queens,” a seven-episode series from National Geographic, is the first film or series that focuses entirely on the female species in the animal kingdom. Led by an all-female production team, the series – which took four years to complete – focuses on the matriarchs, alpha females, and protective mothers in the world’s deserts and jungles. Without too much reliance on anthropomorphizing its subjects, the series still draws unmistakable similarities between decisions made by these female animal leaders with their human counterparts. As a narrator, who better to embody the voice of female empowerment than executive producer Angela Bassett?
EMMY OUTLOOK: A quick glimpse at previous nominees in this category shows that at least one nomination is usually reserved for a nature documentary, so animal-based documentaries must stand out from the pack. With the all-female subject and crew of “Queens,” National Geographic believes that they have a significant contender, which, coupled with the series’ critical support, could land “Queens” in Emmy’s final five.
Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV (ID)
Arguably, no series in any category has generated bigger headlines this year than this four-part ID exposé, bringing to light the sexual exploitation of child performers at the children’s network Nickelodeon in the 1990s and into the 2000s. At the heart of the controversy is producer Dan Schneider, whom the series alleges fostered a work environment that became toxic, operating on fear and misogyny in a manner that put his child actors at risk. But, the dramatic center of “Quiet on Set” is actor Drake Bell, who, now 37, alleges that he was sexually abused by former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck, who succeeded in boxing Bell’s family so that he could get greater access to the boy. The series makes it clear that Peck was not the only predator within the staff at Nickelodeon, which waited until 2018 – years after the fact – before lifting a finger to investigate. The details of the crimes are shocking and sickening, but the series is utterly compelling.
EMMY OUTLOOK: “Quiet on Set” poses a particularly challenging dilemma for Emmy voters. Nickelodeon is a network that the Television Academy has showered with Emmy Awards over the years. Do they now want to honor a series that exposes that same network for failing to thoroughly investigate allegations of the sexual abuse of children by members of their shows’ staff? Voters are responsible for judging each show on its own merits, but will what’s good for business enter into their judgment, even the tiniest bit? Hopefully not, but this year’s nominations will indeed be very telling.
Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets (Prime Video)
With a title straight out of a National Enquirer headline, this Prime Video series delivers much more than just titillating tidbits from the scandal involving Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their 19 children, all featured on the TLC series “19 Kids and Counting.” The series expands the examination to include the Duggars fronting for the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). This ultra-right-wing Christian sect promotes the idea that men are not to be questioned as heads of household and that their women must be subservient to their rule. (No need to ask their opinions on abortion, gay rights, or women in the workplace). Their tenet of male dominance may have led the eldest son, Josh, to believe that he could molest four of his sisters without consequence, a sense of entitlement that eventually led to his 2021 conviction on possessing child pornography.
EMMY OUTLOOK: If you think the series might be too salacious for the Emmys, think again. When the Academy goes for celebrity-centered docs, it often nominates profiles of stars – such as Woody Allen and Bill Cosby – involved in sex scandals. The Duggar story is right in their wheelhouse, so don’t count it out.
Telemarketers (HBO)
Winner of the Critics Choice True Crime Documentary Award, this three-part series focuses on New Jersey’s Civic Development Group, a telemarketing firm that ostensibly raises money for police and firefighter organizations but whose owners simply pocket 90% of the donations from gullible suckers. Two low-level employees, Sam Lipman-Stern and Patrick Pespas, got wind of the dirty scheme and grabbed a camcorder to film the crime in action. Their footage found its way to executive producers Benny and Josh Safdie, who suggested that they expand their investigation, a move that exposes telemarketer ties to political PACs and, eventually, the halls of Congress. Solidly directed by Lipman-Stern and Adam Bhala Lough, it’s an irresistible whistleblower story that actually has a happy ending (for a change).
EMMY OUTLOOK: With the CCA Documentary Award under its belt, “Telemarketers” looks to be in great shape to land that nomination.
Where Is Wendy Williams? (Lifetime)
Since its premiere in February, this documentary series has been at the center of a unique controversy, with arguments centered not so much on the show’s quality but on whether it should exist at all. With the complete cooperation of talk show host Wendy Williams and her manager, the film was initially intended to document her fight to overcome Graves’ Disease and lymphedema, which has limited her ability to walk. What the cameras captured instead was a person in serious decline: drinking heavily, unable to remember names or places, and finally taken away from her family’s care into a conservatorship where she is hidden from public view. The series raises serious questions as to who is exploiting who and whether the series itself may be the biggest exploiter of all.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Emmy voters have never shied away from controversial topics in this category, nominating documentaries centered on all kinds of unsavory issues. However, the moral and ethical questions raised by this series are unlike any that voters have had to consider before. Is “Where Is Wendy Williams?” a bridge too far for the Academy? It’s going to be fascinating to find out.
What documentary or nonfiction series are you hoping will be nominated at this year’s Emmy Awards? Please let us know in the comments section below or over on our Twitter account and check out our latest Emmy nomination predictions here.
